GET THE JUMP ON CALORIES BURNED

GET THE JUMP ON CALORIES BURNED

by Emma Hogan – LES MILLS

Learn the secrets to mastering the tuck jump, a plyometric training staple that will send your calorie burn into overdrive.

If you want to take the intensity of your workout up a notch you can’t look past the tuck jump. A solid set of tuck jumps is one of the best ways to quickly spike your heart rate – helping torch calories and rid fat. Not only a calorie killer, this explosive movement integrates all the major muscle groups and helps build incredible strength in the legs and core.
While on the outside it looks like a simple jump, there are a few tricks to perfecting your tuck jump technique.

How to do the perfect tuck jump

Start with your feet apart and your chest up
Drop your butt back and down
Drive your arms up and push off the floor
Lift your knees toward your chest
Bend your knees as you land to absorb the impact
How to make tuck jumps most effective

To get the most from your tuck jumps try doing as many as you can in quick succession. Aim for 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions. When it gets tough focus on your mental fortitude to push you through. If you feel like you absolutely can’t go on simply take a short break, and then keep going – with a little practice you’ll be breezing through sets of continuous tucks in no time!

If you want a little variety (or you’re not so keen on the knees-up nature of the tuck jump), the squat jump is a great alternative. Like tuck jumps, power-packed squat jumps recruit the maximum number of muscle fibers and enable your body to churn though lots of calories.

How to do the perfect squat jump

Start with your feet wide and your chest up
Sit your butt down and back to just above the knee line
Drive with your arms up and push off the floor
Land back in squat position
With no need for equipment or excessive space you can smash out sets of tuck jumps or squat jumps any time you please. Alternatively, give LES MILLS GRIT Cardio a go – it’s short, sharp high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that provides plenty of opportunity benefit from jumps, leaps, runs and more.

Find a LES MILLS GRIT workout near you or work out at home here.
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